“Iraq’s US-led invaders inflicted serious damage on Babylon, driving heavy machinery over sacred paths, bulldozing hilltops and digging trenches through one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites, said experts for UNESCO. Now Babylon is the object of a turf war between newly empowered Iraqi officials. At the national level, Iraq’s state antiquities office, focused on conservation, is up against officials of the province surrounding Babylon who want to attract tourists. They have already provoked concern by leveling a section of the site to create a picnic area.”